Abstract

The laboratory experiment entitled Invigoration Studies Through Electrical Treatment On Germination of Groundnut Seeds (Arachis hypogea L.) was carried out in the Seed Testing Laboratory, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, SHIATS, Allahabad. Seed rate of groundnut crop (60-80 kg/ha) is high which constitutes for about 37-50% of the total cost of cultivation. One of the reasons for this high seed rate is its low germination percentage and the farmers go for sowing of previous crop seeds whose germination percentage is far below the recommended levels. Treating seeds with electric current as a pre-sowing treatment is an innovative technology for improving germination in crops. Yield improvement in various field crops by pre-sowing electrical stimulus of seed were reported by many and the dose of electrical current used was different by different workers. Hence, there is a need to standardize the effective optimum dose of electric current in relation to seed germination. The study revealed both positive and negative impact on its beneficial and harmful effects. Results of the experiment revealed that among three electrical current intensities viz., 910 mA, 1083mA and 2750 mA, the electric current intensity of 1083 mA found to be optimum for enhancing seed germination for two vigour level seeds of groundnut crop. The exposure of both the vigour level seeds of groundnut to one minute duration in all the current intensity levels was found to be beneficial for seed germination over control and found to be optimum period of exposure. Interaction between the treatment electric current intensity of 1083 mA for one minute duration of exposure was found to be best to obtain better seed quality of both the vigour level seeds of groundnut.

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